Bittersweet Goodbye
by jedimasterroyal
Summary: Special Valentine's Day half angsty-half cute/cringe what if? Anakin is about to leave on a mission but not just yet.


_You thought..._

 _I was gone but I'm not. Last year I graduated college. I watched Force Awakens (had a ship, changed my ship, I'm confused but elated). Anyways, as always I have a ton of ideas and this is a little plot bunny that was inspired by a video of the cutest little boy saying bye to his father (and even more cuter is how his father responds) I'm sure you can find it on youtube. Anyways hope this acts as a nice Valentine's Day end treat. Also TLOP has one of the best angsty beats ever, mentioned at the end. #mybaefrankoceanisback._

 _Stay cool -jedimasterroyal_

 _and without further ado..._

* * *

Anakin thought his dream would be fulfilled when he traversed the galaxy.

And then he got off that dustball that was Tatooine

He met Padme too then.

And for 10 years he thought his dream would be fulfilled when he met her again.

And then he did and they fell in love and they wed in the gardens of Varykino.

So then he had everything he could possibly ask for…

That is until Padme announced she was pregnant.

He remembered those words very clearly. His ears had popped and he ran a cold sweat. But just like he had said that day behind the pillars, it truly was the happiest moment of his life. That night he dreamed far beyond anything he had dreamt before. He dreamt of chocolate eyes and chubby cheeks.

He also dreamt of death that night. He remembers the terror he lived in those days. Anakin, for the life of him, could not stop hearing Padme's screams with every breath he took.

For a moment, he almost lost it all. His life, her life….the twins.

He laughs now over everything that had transpired but the afternoon Palpatine told him everything he had to make a decision and it was the hardest one of his life. Thankfully, the Force and in some sense, the twins saved him from becoming a monster that night.

Now Anakin had completed his destiny and was living in the pinnacle of his life.

Currently though he was facing something much more powerful than any Sith Lord out there. Getting out of the current situation would require all the strength Anakin Skywalker could muster.

"Please be careful," she murmurs against his lips.

"I always am, you know that."

Padme sighs, her hands straighten his tabards, daring not to miss him too much. "I know and you said I shouldn't worry because the war is over but the twins…"

Now it's his turn to sigh, "This is hard for me too. It's a quick in and out though. Obi-Wan promises we will only retrieve the missing Sep leaders and come back straight to Coruscant."

It wasn't as if he was going to miss anything. Anakin had witnessed their birth, their first bath, their first words, their first steps. But then again….

"I have 3PO programmed to record everything while I'm away in case I miss something," he said more to himself than to his wife.

"Alright," she let go and palmed his face again to bring him to her lips. "I love you."

"And I you."

He stepped back and looked at her once more.

"Hurry. Before they wake up and notice that you're not here." Padme chastises him and waves him away.

Anakin walks now with precision toward his starfighter. There was no time to waste and then again, he thinks now that he should have given the twins a farewell. Leia would throw a fit when she woke up, he was sure of it.

He gets in and starts to power up the ship. Anakin grabs his commlink and sends his old master the signal that he was meeting him at the rendevouz point soon.

"Ready R2?"

He's about to leave when from the corner of his eye he sees Padme running.

"What the -"

"DADDY!"

Suddenly there's a small blonde boy right next to ship and immediately his heart speeds up.

"Daddy," Luke waves to him.

It's almost like the galaxy stopped moving in that moment. Anakin thought there was never going to be anyone he could possibly love more than his wife but oh how wrong was he.

He jumps out of his ship and Luke's there. Amusingly, Luke, who has recently mastered the art of walking, wears only a diaper and stumbles groggily towards him.

"Love you daddy," Luke mumbles.

"I love you more. Are you here to say goodbye?"

"Bye-bye daddy," now he whimpers and it tugs at Anakin's heart.

For a second he looks at Padme frozen on the veranda and she too is capturing the moment in her heart, but then again within the bond they share she wills him to say goodbye. _It has to happen eventually._

So Anakin leans down and Luke's there puckering his lips. It's amazing how understanding the boy can be. Anakin can sense his son's sadness but Luke is calm, not even shedding a tear.

Anakin kisses him and opens his arms wide open in case Luke changes his mind and cries, but the baby is already heading back to his mother.

"Hey! Come here. Give me a hug." When did this become more painful for him than Luke himself.

"Just give your daddy another kiss before he goes," and Anakin swoops him in. _What if this is the_ _last_ _time you see him?_ No, he can't afford to think like that but nonetheless he stays there embracing his only son. He embraces his warmth, his scent, his soft hair, and the softness of his baby skin.

"Daddy is cold" Luke shivers against him.

"Yes, go stand over there by your mother."

Luke walks away and now it really is time to go.

Padme brushes away a tear. He really can't understand why this hurts so much.

"Goodbye mom," he says to her, "I love you." Padme only waves back.

R2 beeps at him. Obi-Wan is waiting.

He turns away and he can hear the padding of Luke's little feet again.

"Luke come over here, baby," Padme scolds lightly.

"Okay ma."

Whew….it's over.

"BYE BYE DADDY!"

Or not.

He jumps in again and it's as if he's being ripped up by a lightsaber and shot by Sith lightning all at once.

"BYE BYE!"

 _Don't look at Luke._ But Anakin peeks and he sees that one of his son's hands is gripping his hair and the other is waving at him. The babe is just as torn.

"Luke come he-"

"LOVE YOU DADDY!" Luke's near his ship again.

It's only until Padme grabs his little hand that she gets Luke to move closer to her.

"BYE," Luke keeps waving.

 _Ignore him and start the ship._ If the Jedi knew about the three attachments he had…..whatever.

"I LOVE YOU!" the blue eyed baby screams again.

The ship is sealed and ready to take off but Anakin isn't. _"Take care of your mother and sister, Luke."_

Anakin looks at him again to check if his boy had gotten the message and it seemed like Luke had. His little chest had puffed up and his blue eyes sparkled with responsibility.

"BE CAEWFUL DADDY!" Luke yells and Anakin nods back, his hand touching the glass of his ship.

 _"_ _I love you son."_

And his ship is off the veranda now.

"BE CAEWFUL! BYE! I LOVE YOU!" He waves insistently.

Anakin grips his accelerator. He cannot bear to look anymore. The cup is about to overflow.

"Bye," Luke's tiny voice finally cracks. A small tear splashes on the veranda.

Padme gave up holding Luke from running to the middle of the veranda. He waved goodbye once again, but there was nothing there anymore. No ship. No daddy.

She sniffles. Everything will be fine. "Come Luke. Daddy will be home soon."

Anakin Skywalker cries silently on the way to the rendevouz point. He cannot bear to imagine a life without his wife and children.

* * *

 _"Life is precious_

 _We found out, we found out_

 _We found out"_

 _FIN_


End file.
